The Michigan Daily-Tuesday, July 20, 1982-Page 3 BILL WILL DRASTICALLY LIMIT INSANITY DEFENSE Reagan backs insanity plea bill WASHINGTON (AP)- The Reagan administration endorsed a proposal yesterday to drastically limit use of the insanity defense in federal criminal cases, holding the defendant responsible if he "knew he was shooting at a human being to kill him." Without directly mentioning President Reagan's assailant, John Hinckley, Attorney General William French Smith said the bill is designed to all but eliminate mental illness as a defense for criminal conduct. "THE CRIMINAL justice system has tilted too decidedly in favor of the rights of criminals and against the rights of society," Smith told the Senate Judiciary Committee. He said the bill, sponsored by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R- Utah) "would effectively eliminate the insanity defense except in those rare cases in which the defendant lacked the state of mind required as an element of the offense." A mental disease or defect would be no defense if a defendant knew he was shooting at a human being City votes to reduce police assigned to University By GEORGE ADAMS Ann Arbor City Council voted last night to reduce the number of police patrol officers assigned to the University, in compliance with a request made by University Safety Director Walter Stevens. The resolution provides that the University squad be reduced from eight patrol officers and two detectives to seven patrol officers and two detec- tives. The officer removed from the University patrol will be reassigned elsewhere in the city. The resolution passed 8-1, with the only dissenting vote coming from Council member Gerald Jernigan (R-Fourth Ward). Coun- cilemembers E. Edward Hood (R- Fourth Ward) and Raphael Ezekiel (D-Third Ward) were absent. STEVENS. said the request to reduce thepoice patrol was made because of"fncilostat"sem ngrm a 5 percent budget decrease for the 1982-83 fiscal year. The University currently pays Ann Arbor more than WASHI $370,000 annually for police protection. in blister Both Stevens and John Weidenbach, urged tho director of the University's Business workers Operations Office, said one less stitutiona patrolman would save at least $28,000 budget or annually, plus fringe benefits. Capitol A letter from Ann Arbor Police Chief the Whil William Corbett to Acting City Ad- 25,000 bu ministator Godfrey Collins, however, the figur( revealed that the cost of the one officer four time would be $38,637, including an 8 percent "Crisi increase in salary and 44.3 percent Reagan s average fringe costs. This would make face a cr the University's payment for the wall of w coming year - minus the patrol officer tween us -$334,763. "I HAV Mayor Louis Belcher supported the budget i resolution, saying "The University and virtue: Y the city have virtually grown up 'no', " s together, and the U of M has always endorsed come through when we needed things Vice P beyond our normal contracts." about 13 to kill him," he continued. "MENTAL DISEASE or defect would constitute a defense only if the defendant did not even know he had a gun in his hand or thought, for example, that he was shooting at a tree." Smith offered the administration's first formal support for a major change in the insanity defense since June 21, when Hinckley was acquitted by reason of insanity. Hinckley has been committed to a mental hospital and can only be freed if he is found by psychiatrists to be no threat to himself or society and a court accepts the finding. TEN DAYS after the verdict, Reagan acknowledged the public outcry over the acquittal of the man who attempted to assassinate him on March 30, 1981. The president said the law placed an unfair burden on the prosecution. "The thing that has also caused a lot of criticism is the fact that the ruling placed on the back of the prosecution the need to prove that someone was sane rather than the other way of proving that he was in- sane," Reagan said. "... And you know if you start thinking about even a lot of your friends you would have to say 'gee, if I had to prove they were sane I would have a hard job,' " he said. IN THE HINCKLEY case, the jury was told to find the defendant innocent if it decided the prosecution had failed to prove that he was sane. Smith's position yesterday went beyond calling for a shift in the burden of proving sanity or insanity. In endorsing the Hatch bill, Smith said, "this would abolish the insanity defense to the maximum extent permitted under the Constitution and would make mental illness a factor to be considered at the time of sentencing, just like any other mitigating factor." He said the measure would "eliminate entirely the presentation at trial of confusing psychiatric testimony." AP Photo Hot streak A bicyclist at the south edge of Las Vegas braves the 110 degree heat to get his daily exercise. eagan pushes budget amendent From APand UPI NGTON - President Reagan, ring heat n the Capitol steps, usands of tourists and federal yesterday to support a con- l amendment to balance the r face "ruin by red ink." Police estimated the crowd at Ie House-organized rally at t several other observers said e appeared inflated by three or es. s is a much-abused word," aid. "But can we deny that we isis, that no more than a thin avering willpower stands bet- and ruin by red ink?" VE SAID before, balancing the s a little like protecting your You just have to learn to say aid Reagan, who himself has budgets with record deficits. President George Bush and 0 members of Congress were among those who attended the in- vitation-only rally in 95-degree summer heat n the west steps of the Capitol where Reagan was inaugurated 18 months ago. At least a dozen people collapsed in the heat and were helped to ambulan- ces. TO ENSURE a good turnout, the Republican National Committee han- ded out invitations and small American flags at subway and bus stops, to tour buses and at tour sites. And the bureaucracy's civil servants receive letters from Reagan urging them to at- tend. House Democratic leader Jim Wright of Texas called the rally "unabashed show business" and blamed the deficit on Reagan, saying if the president really wants to balance the budget he would reduce tax cuts for the rich. As Reagan spoke, the Senate set to work on the biggest tax increase in history, a grab-bag of more than 50 provisions whose bite would be felt chiefly by corporations and high- income investors. The measure also doubles the tax on cigarettes and telephone service, shar- ply limits the tax deduction for medical expenses, and cracks down on tax cheats by imposing a 10 percent withholding on interest and dividends. Also included in the package is $17.5 billion in cuts in Medicare, Medicaid, and aid to the needy over the next three years in an effort to reduce the federal deficit. President Reagan said in a letter to Senate leaders that the package "will lead us on a downward path of deficit reduction, improve the fairness of the tax system and maintain the integrity of my economic recovery program." "Although I do have some reser- vations about a few items, it is a good and balanced bill which I can endorse," the president said.